Older Brothers

TYLER A Call

She called me back a few minutes later.
Before she could say a word, I blurted, "Why did you tell Mike before me?"
She sighed. "He's five minutes away from me, Tyler. You're four hours away."
"I know, but-"
"I only found out this morning. You were in class. I figured I had a better chance of an immediate answer with Mike. It's nothing personal; you know that."
I took a deep breath. "I know. Sorry. So what's up?"
"Well." I could tell she was uncomfortable. "I went to see my doctor this morning- I told you that, right?"
"Yeah, about the bruises." Alexa was an athlete; the routine beatings she received from the soccer ball and the cleats of her teammates usually left relatively impermanent marks. But recently, Lexa's arms and legs bruised from the slightest touch- every brush with someone's shoulder or elbow left a mark, and the bruises took much longer to fade. I, being the worry-free person I am, told her it was probably nothing serious; maybe she wasn't getting enough iron. But Lexa's mother insisted she see a doctor. That day, she had left school during second period for her appointment. "You told me your mom made an appointment. What'd the doctor say?"
Lexa made a strange choking sound. "It's not an iron deficiency."
"Well, I'm not a doctor. But he is. What did he say, Lexa?"
The choking noises turned to sobs. "They did a blood test."
I softened my voice. "Did they find anything?"
"Cancer," she whispered.
Now I was the one choking. "What?"
"Leukemia," she said. "And Tyler- I Googled it. All the weird symptoms; how tired I am, how much weight I've lost- they're all symptoms of leukemia. It makes sense."
"You have blood cancer," I whispered.
"Yeah."
"Can it be- What're they gonna do about it?"
"I go for my first round of chemo Friday, after school. My dad doesn't want me to miss my bio test."
Lexa had always been smarter than me, although she refused to admit it. "We're smart in different ways," she would say. But as a junior in high school, she was already taking more difficult classes than I ever had. Even though she is two years younger than me, she is much more intelligent.
"You have cancer, and he's worried about a biology test?"
"It's an AP class; you know how he is."
"Knowing how he is" was a dangerous topic for me. I was not overly fond of Alexa's father; but for her sake I tried to refrain from bad-mouthing him to her. I changed the subject. "Listen, are you gonna tell Graham about this?"
She sighed. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about it. Should I?"
"He should know. Mike and I know. Would it make it easier if I told him?"
"Yeah, probably."
"Ok. I will." I thought for a moment. "Is there anything else you need?"
"I'm not an invalid yet, Tyler. But I'll let you know if anything comes up." She paused. "And Tyler?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. And please, don't beat yourself up about this."
"Why would I?"
She knew I was playing dumb. "I know you. You get upset when you can't protect me from something."
"No I don't."
"My dad?"
"Ok, but you know what my deal with him is-"
She cut me off. "Don't beat yourself up. It means a lot to know you care." Her voice softened. "All you can do for me is care, Tyler."
"I know. Listen, I'll talk to Graham. And I'll be praying for you."
"Thank you. I'll let you go now, you busy college boy."
"I'm not that-" I heard her laughing right before the click.
I knew I needed to call Graham. I also knew I needed to start my homework. But at the moment, all I felt like doing was crying. While talking to Alexa I knew I had to be strong; but now I just felt useless. I was supposed to be her super hero. I was supposed to protect her from everything; but now here was something I couldn't help her with. It made me feel like punching something.
Instead, I dialed Graham's number. While the phone rang and rang, I looked at the calendar above my desk. Friday, she had said. She went in for chemo on Friday. Today was Tuesday.
Graham's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Hello?"
"Hey Graham, it's Tyler. What're you doing Friday night?"

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